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The classic tale that taught us all “to believe” and first introduced us to the Darling children – Wendy, John and Michael - as they flew with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell past the second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning to the enchanted world of Never Land. Rediscover the magical adventure and relive childhood memories of this great bedtime story.

My Take:

Let your dreams take flight with this classic Walt Disney' family film. Peter Pan is bursting with fantasy, adventure, memorable characters, music and pixie dust Wendy and her brothers are whisked to the magical world of Neverland by the hero of their stories, Peter Pan. After following Peter and his feisty sidekick Tinker Bell past the "second star to the right and straight on till morning," they explore the island and Peter's secret hideout with the rambunctious Lost Boys, and leap into high-flying battles with swashbuckling pirates and the infamous Captain Hook!

Based on J.M. Barrie’s original play “Peter Pan” is a timeless classic from Disney’s Golden Age of animation. Having seen numerous incarnations both on the stage and screen it is easily identifiable and wonderfully spirited and entertaining in the hands of Walt Disney and his famous “Nine Old Men” as Directing Animators. I love this story. Peter Pan was one of my earliest movie going experiences (early 1970’s) and I will never forget it. When I was young there was no home video and in order to see films like this you went to the theater. We reveled in its sense of adventure, imagination and swashbuckling action that today holds up quite well. I will say that if Peter Pan was being made today there are elements in this version that would be different (speaking from a politically correct perspective) but having them intact reflects the time period when the film was made and the spirit of its intentions shouldn’t be seen as derogatory.

Peter Pan like many of Disney’s classic animated features has easily stood the test of time and continues to touch generations of viewers. Disney is a class act with an impeccable track record for wonderful family oriented films. This Diamond Edition home video release is another example of their fervent commitment to the Blu-ray format as their high definition presentations have consistently yielded technically impressive results along with fan friendly supplemental material. Their willingness to digitally restore their films while carefully preserving the original source elements allows fans and newcomers alike to experience them looking and sounding better than ever. I am pleased that this animated classic has finally arrived in high definition.

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

Audio: 88

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

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Video: 90

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

Resolution/Clarity:

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Peter Pan comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 28 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.6 Mbps.

This film has undergone a digital restorative process and the results may very well depend on your point of view. Colors shine brilliantly with pleasing saturation and striking blues that look beautiful. The original film elements don’t have the highly polished gloss of today’s digitally created animated films which is to be expected. The first thing that came to mind is the noticeably pervasive lack of grain/texture in the image. In looking at it I wouldn’t describe it as soft/lacking detail as that appears to have been preserved with little to no visible interference. This should not be construed as a DNR hatchet job by any means. The 1.33:1 framed video has excellent visual depth with deep, rich, color fidelity and discerning resolution that enhances dimension. The ability to fully appreciate the attention to detail that went into design of each of the animated characters remains intact. Contrast and brightness is stable and strikes a wonderful balance that highlights the multi-layered grays and delineated chromatic elements within the video. Whites sparkle and appear crisp, bright and punchy and blacks are deep with excellent dynamic range. From my perspective I find the quality of the presentation to be high. On the flip side of the equation I can see where the digitally restored image’s lessening/removal of what was once part of the original film elements will be problematic for purists. My advice would be to see it before making any snap judgments.

Disney provides a new DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 channel surround mix and the original Dolby Digital 1.0 soundtrack. I utilized the surround mix which is a well balanced presentation that features high level detail in a resplendent blend of dialogue, sound effects, and music that maintains a frontal perspective with wonderfully integrated rear channel atmospherics that seem to naturally broaden the soundstage. The film’s score/music sounds marvelous as the musical numbers take center stage and create an enriching surround experience. This isn’t a dynamically enhanced mix but it appropriately supports of the soundtrack’s elements. The audio is crystal clear, free of the edginess and never shows its age which says something for the care that went into the encoding.

Bonus Features:

Optional film introduction by Diane Disney Miller

Disney view

Disney intermission

Sing-a-long with the movie (with lyrics) feature

(HD) Growing up with nine old men – 41 minute documentary hosted by Ted Thomas

Peter Pan is among the beloved of the Disney Classic animated feature films. Seeing it again after many years brought back fond childhood memories. It makes it debut on Blu-ray from Disney featuring digitally restored high definition video that may raise the eyebrows of purists but otherwise looks terrific. The package also includes complimentary lossless surround sound and a fan friendly set of bonus materials that offers exclusive Blu-ray and interactive features that enhance the high definition experience while taking a peek behind the curtain to learn some interesting background on the film. This excellent Blu-ray release will make for a welcomed addition to your Disney Collection and comes highly recommended.